A new Australian resource designed to help early childhood educators better understand and support the emotional wellbeing of Autistic children will move from research into early learning classrooms, after receiving $30,000 in funding from The Fraser Foundation.
La Trobe University PhD candidate Annette Carroll, based at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, has been named the recipient of The Fraser Foundation’s 2026 Research Impact Grant. The grant will support ‘Feelings and Flourishing’, a co-designed toolkit for educators working with Autistic children aged birth to five.
The practical, evidence-based resource is being developed directly with educators, families and autistic children, building on research Ms Carroll has already undertaken with families and early childhood professionals across Australia.
The Fraser Foundation will provide $20,000 in core grant funding, together with a further $10,000 to support implementation, allowing the project to progress through its co-design phase and into a four-week pilot in early learning services.
Importantly, once developed and evaluated, Feelings & Flourishing has a pathway to free national distribution through La Trobe University, giving early childhood education and care services across Australia the opportunity to access and use the resource at no cost.
The Fraser Foundation Co-Founder Jae Fraser said the project embodied exactly what the Research Impact Grant was established to achieve—taking high-quality research beyond academia and putting it into the hands of the educators who can use it.
“Some incredibly valuable research is being undertaken in Australia, but too often its impact stops at the university door,” Mr Fraser said. “We established this grant because we want to help bridge that gap between research and practice.
“Annette’s work stood out because educators, families and autistic children are not simply the end users of this resource—they are helping shape it. It has been designed with the realities of early childhood settings in mind and, importantly, has the potential to reach educators right across Australia.
“That is exactly the kind of tangible, sector-wide impact we want The Fraser Foundation to support.”
Research Grant recipient, Annette Carroll said the Fraser Foundation’s support will provide the opportunity to take that research into real early learning environments, test it with educators and families, and develop a resource that can make a meaningful difference for autistic children.
“Autistic children can experience and express emotions in ways educators may not always have the tools or confidence to interpret. Feelings & Flourishing is about creating practical, evidence-based support alongside the people who will ultimately use and benefit from it.”
The 2026 Research Impact Grant attracted applications from doctoral researchers at universities across Australia, with projects assessed on research quality, potential sector reach and the likelihood of meaningful adoption within early childhood education and care settings.
The Research Impact Grant forms part of The Fraser Foundation’s broader commitment to strengthening Australia’s early childhood education sector through investment in educators, research and professional development.
The Foundation also provides fully funded educator scholarships and a national program of free professional development webinars for the early childhood sector.
Applications for the 2027 Research Impact Grant will open next year, with further information available at The Fraser Foundation website.
Pictured: PhD Candidate Annette Carroll (Image suppled by Jag Communications).
